Gareth A Davies has been a sports journalist for The Daily Telegraph since 1993. He is Boxing and MMA Correspondent. Has been intrigued by fight and combat sports from a young age. Personal sporting passions are rugby, cricket, and martial arts. Also covers the Paralympic Games. Hates getting his hair cut. Follow on Twitter @GarethADaviesDT

UFC news: Rio event in August surfs the Brazilian sports boom

UFC to Rio in August. Major news. First time the UFC has visited Brazil under the Zuffa LLC. The last time in that country was 1998. There is great hunger for the sport of MMA in Brazil. In a sense it is returning to its spiritual home. In interviews I've had with both Jose Aldo and Junior Dos Santos recently, they have both said that a major MMA event in Brazil would be a huge boost to the sport, and the UFC going to Brazil for an event in August could herald the beginning of talks for a network television deal down the line. There are 40-odd top level Brazilian MMA guys in the UFC, and the growth potential there is massive.

On Wednesday, a press conference in Rio announced the Brazil event. I understand there was major support from the Rio government on this. This is significant, because with the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016, we are looking at a boom economy. Shrewd move by the UFC. They are also working on having local TUF for Brazil, and some Asian territories. That will also help potential network deals. This is part of the expansion UFC CEO Dana White was referring to last year.

Junior Dos SantosHad some time last week with JDS. He has been studying Cain Velazquez's style, and is waiting for an announcement to be made for them to meet for the UFC heavyweight title. He hopes he will be fighting soon. JDS insisted he wants to outbox Velasquez but knows CV will try to take him down. He has been working on his wrestling skills at Blackhouse Team Nog in San Diego, and on his muay thai at Alliance with Brandon Vera and Phil Davis. I got the sense with JDS that he grows with every fight, and let's not forget he has wrecked a few high level contenders – Werdum, CroCop, Gonzaga. And he is still on 25, and has only been a mixed martial artist for 4 years.
JDS also talked to me about his early life. Fascinating. His father left when he was 11. He was a big kid, and was left with his mother and sisters. He would sell popsicles in the street aged 11 after school until it was dark. Then he sold papers, and worked at a stonemason, where he also chopped wood. It is where he developed immense strength. What he has been through in his life now makes him grab every opportunity in MMA with both hands. Compelling man.

AUSTRALIA NEWS
Australia – creating a phenomenal response to the UFC. The Acer Arena, Sydney, sold out of 18,400 tickets in 15 minutes when tickets went on sale this week. Quite incredible. It is the fastest sell-out in UFC history. The Aussies are responding very strongly to MMA, and
on that card, Michael Bisping is confirmed to be facing Jorge Rivera, quashing any rumours that he might have been facing Demian Maia next. Maia had called him out. But I do think that is a very good fight for sometime in 2011.

AUS V UK TUF SERIESAlso in Australia, Zuffa are looking at an Oz v England Ultimate Fighter series. They could call it 'Ultimate Ashes'. There is a ton of interest here. Australia and England are natural rivals and have been so for a very long time in cricket and rugby. A TUF series between UK and Oz could run and run.

UFC IN SCOTLAND
Dana White had suggested last week, and it was widely reported, that the UFC were going to Scotland in May. I understand that those plans may have changed, and Scotland will come at another time. I believe they may be looking at Liverpool, but I think it will be later than May, possibly late summer, as there has been a lot of re-jigging, with events such as Abu Dhabi also shifting.

I'D LIKE TO SEE ALISTAIR OVEREEM IN THE UFCThis is a guy who has to be taken seriously. His critics say he should not be ranked in top 10. But he has a lot going for him. By winning the K1 Grand Prix title on Saturday night in Japan, the first winner from MMA, he signalled himself as a top contender. In striking, certainly. It shows how striking in MMA has come on. He has shown his versatility 5-0 in K1 this year, 1-0 in MMA, defeating Brett Rogers in May and defending Strikeforce heavyweight title.
Overeem is a compelling character. Born in London, in Hounslow, he lived here til he was 6. His mother's grandfather was the son of King William III of The Netherlands. There is something about this guy. He's a veteran of 45 fights, but only 30 years old. I think he's always judged on losing in Pride to some top contenders – Big Nog, Chuck Liddell, Shogun Rua. Dana White has played him down a few times…but he'd be an interesting addition to the UFC. Obviously, he still has a deal with Strikeforce.

The blog will take a break now until Friday Dec 31 when I will preview UFC 125, and post The Telegraph picks. My one wish for 2011 is to see GSP versus Anderson Silva. GSP needs the challenge, once he has dispensed with Jake Shields. Have a great festive season. See you on the eve of 2011.